Button-hole attachment for sewing-machines



(No M odel.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 1. D. MILLS.

BUTTON HOLE ATTACHMENT EOE SEWING MACHINES. No. 408,500'. Patented' Aug. 6, 1889 (No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 2.

` D. MILLS.

BUTTON HOLE ATTACHMENT FOR SEWING MACHINES.

vNo. 408,500. Patented Aug. 6, 1889.

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(No Model.) 4 sheetssheet 3; D. MILLS.

BUTTON HOLE-ATTACHMENT POR SEWING MACHINES. No. 408,500. Patented Aug. 6, 1880.

I. PETERS. Pbuoljthographer, Walhlngian. D. C.

4 Sheets-Sheet 4'.

(No Model.)

D MILLS EUTToN HoLE ATTACHMENT EoE SEWING MACHINES.

No. 408,500. Patented Aug. 6, 1889..

- UNITED STATES i ATENT UFFICE.

DANIEL MILLS, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 408,500, dated August 6, 1889.

I Application filed March 8, 1888. Serial No. 266.496. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern.-

Be it known that I, DANIEL MILLS, a citizen'of the United States, and a resident of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented certain Improvements in Button-Hole At-tachments for Sewing-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in mechanism for automatically sewing buttonholes. As shown in the drawings, the mechanism is in the shape of an attachment adapted to be applied to an ordinary sewing-machine; but it will be evident that the mechanism maj.7 be permanently secured to or constructed on the sewing-machine bed without depart.- ing from my invention.

The object of my invention is to make. an attachment that will be compact and of oomparatively few and simple parts, and to so construct the devices that the button-hole may be barred at either or both ends, as fully described hereinafter, a further object being to so construct the device that the parts for adjusting the cutting-space, the length of the button-hole, and the bight or depth of the stitch, can be readily got at without removal of any parts of the device.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a plan view of my improved button-hole-sewing attachment complete with the cap-plate removed. Fig. 2 is an inverted plan view. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section on the line l 2, Fig. l. Fig. 4 is atransverse section on the line 3 4, Fig. l. Figs. 5, 6, and 7 are plan views similar to Fig. l, showing various parts of the mechanism removed to more fully illustrate the parts beneath. Figs. S, 9, l0, and l1 are views in detail of the devices by which the character of the button-hole is determined. Figs. l2, 13, and 14 are perspective views of the driving mechanism for the traverse-cam and shifting cams for moving the clamps in the length and width of the button-hole. Fig, l5 is view of the driving-pawl of the machine. Fig. 16 is a view of the stop-pawl. Figs. 17 and 1S are detached perspective views 0f the vibrating mechanism. Figs. 19,

20, 2l, and 22 are detached perspective views of the mechanism for moving-the clamp longitudinally and for determining` the length of the button-hole; and Figs. 23, 24, and 25 are detached perspective views of the clothclamps.

Referring to Figs. l and 2, A is the baseplate of the attachment, upon which are mounted the several parts of the operating mechanism. The side plates a a are formed by being bent upward from the base, and on the side plate a is mounted on astud Z9 a bellcrank lever B, one arm of which engages with the screw on the needle-bar of the machine to which the attachment is applied. The other arm b projects downward and rests in a cavity or recess c in asliding bar C, as shown in Fig. l5. On this sliding bar isaprojection c', to which is pivoted the driving-pawl D, a spring d at the rear of this pawl tending to keep it pressed against the ratchet-Wheel e, securely attached to the hub of a three-cornered vibrating cam E, described in detail hereinafter. This vibrating cam is mounted on a vertical stud e', projecting from the baseplate A. On the opposite side of the ratchetwheel e is a stop-pawl D', having a spring d', which keeps it pressed against the ratchet- Wheel at all times, so that as the driving-pawl D moves the ratchet-Wheel the pawlD drops back of a ratchet-tooth, preventing any back- V ward movement of the cam E.

On a stud or screw f is pivoted a plate F, having two arms f', provided with pins f2, on which are preferably anti -friction rollers. These rollers are alternately acted upon by a vibrator-cam E, The cam I prefer to make, as shown in Fig. 17, with flattened points, in order to give more time for the needle to rise out of the material. Projecting from the plate F is a spring-bar F', in the present instance resting in a recess in the plate A. The vibrating plate G is pivoted to the stud e, and two pins g g on the under side of said plate engage with the spring-rod F', as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 6. The vibrating plate G has two lips g at the outer end, which lap under the edge of the base-plate A, as shown in Fig. 3. The plate G is also cut out at its forward end directly over the needle-opening a2 in the base-plate A. This plate Gis struck up, and grooves h h are formed on each side of the plate, and in these grooves slides the lower cloth-clamp II, which is shown more clearly in the perspective view, Fig. 2. On

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this cloth-clamp lI is pivoted the arm I, carrying the upper cloth-clamp Y, Fig. 25, said arm being pivoted to the lower cloth-clamp at h', a spring i, Fig. 3, tending to raise the arm I and upper cloth-clamp. A cam-lever i', secured to a stud h2 on the lower cloth-clamp, is for the purpose of locking the upper tothe lower cloth-clamp.

The detailed construction of the clamping devices will be described hereinafter.

I will now describe the mechanism by which the cloth-clamp is traversed and shifted fiom one side of the button-hole to the other.

On a vertical stud J is a bushing I', the former-cams K K being mounted on the lower portion of this bushing, with their larger diameters over each other, and the feed-lever J being loosely mounted on the collarj of the bushing, as shown in Fig. 3, and the feed-disk L and heart-cam L are mounted on the upper portion of the bushing. A pin through the former-cams, collar, feed-disk, and heart-cam secures them in their respective positions, leaving the feed-lever free to work on the collar j.

The feed-lever and feed-disk are clearly shown in the detached perspective view, Fig. 12, and also.in Figs. t5 and T.

The feed-disk has a groove l on its periphery, and in this groove is a bent wire 1f. One endof this bent wire is looped, as shown in Fig. 6, and engages with a screw-stud on the feed-lever J.

It will be noticed on referring to Fig. G that this loop is elongated in order that the band may be taken up and then securely clamped to the fecd-leverJ. The opposite end of the band l is bent in the form of an eye, and through this eye passes the pin m on the under side of the lever M, which is pivoted at m to the feed-lever J An arm m? on the lever M extends, as shown in Fig. 6, through a slot c2 in the sliding bar (l, and also through an opening in the upright a of the base A, and is acted upon in the present instance by a screw-pin c, tapped into the sliding bar C. A pin j? on the lever J acts as a stop for the lever M on its rearward movement, and through the mcdiuln of this pin the lever itself is returned to its normal position. The lever Jis frictionally connected at its outer end to the base-plate A, as I will now proceed to describe.

On the base-plate A is a stud or projection n, into which passes a screw-bolt. This screwbolt. passes also through an elongated slotj3 in the feed-lever and through a friction-plate 9L above the feed-lever, and between this friction-plate n and the head of the screw is a coiled spring 11.2, by which the necessary friction is applied'to the feed-lever.

The operation of this lnechanism is as follows: If, for instance, the slidingbaris moved in the direction of the arrow, Fig. (i, the pin c3 will strike the arm m2of the lever, tending to force it in the direction of its arrow and colnpressing the feed-band Z', which will in turn grip the feed-disk L; but a certain tension is placed upon the pivoted lever J by the friction-spring that will not allow the lever J to move at once, and not until the pressure of the sliding bar overcomes this friction will the lever J move to operate the heart and former cams.

The object of this construction is to make the band securely grip the feed-disk prior to any forward movement of the feed-lever J; otherwise the band might slip and cause uncertain amount of feed. On the return movelnent the band is compelled to release its grip on the feed-disk prior to any return movement of the feed-lever J, thus avoiding any back drag of the band in the groove of the feed-disk and preventing, as much as possible, wear of both groove and band. To prevent the feed-diskl from slipping when the feed-lever J is on its return movement, I attach to the side plate A a friction-jaw U, having two spring-arms u u, said jaw being adjustably secured to the side plate A', so that it can be adjusted delicately to the feeddisk.

It will be noticed on referring to Figs. 5 S, 9, 10, and ll that the former-cams are situated one above the other, the shape of the cams indicating the form of the ends of the button-hole. The cams, as shown in thc drawings, are constructed to bar one end of the button-hole only.

P is the former-lever, pivoted at p to the base-plate and being forked at its inner end, forming two arms p p2, the ends of these arms being in different planes, as shown in Figs. 9 and l1, the arm p being acted. upon by the cam K, while the arm p2 is acted upon by the cam K. These arms maybe adjusted toward or from each other by means of a tapered set-screw q, which is tapped into a bifurcated plate q', as shown in Figs. 5 and l1. Both the arms p p2 and the arms of the bifurcated plate q are spring-arms, tending to bind at all times upon the set-screw. Directly under this set-screw q,I-form an opening in the base-plate A, so that thc arms p p2 can be'ad j usted from the under side without disturbing the working parts of the attachment.

The object of adjusting the arms p p2 of the lever P is to adjust the width of cuttingspace between the two rows of stitches, so that in cutting the button-hole in the fabric the thread forming the stitches will not be severed, as is the case when the stitches arc too near together, and to prevent the fabric from raveling when the stitches are far apart, leaving a raw edge on each side of the buttonhole. rlhe arm P is also slotted at q2 for ythe reception of a slide-stud Q, which is squared at its upper end and adapted to rest in a slot Q3 in an extension Q of the vibrating plate G, as shown in Figs. (l and 23.

The above-described devices are for the purpose of limiting the vibratory movement of the plate G in one direction or the other,

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vlO, are in two concentric diameters and the former-cams K K dictate the length of the vibratory movement. The cams K K', as will be noticed on reference to Figs. 5 and one portion in one radius and the other portion in the other radius k'. These two are united by either a step 7a2 or a gradual incline 7c3. The

arms p p act upon the two concentric diame-v ters while the sides of the button-hole are being formed and act upon the eccentric orthe heart-cam L and connecting devices by which the cloth-clamp is traversed inthe length of the button-hole.

Resting against the side plate a of the baseplate A and a guide-rib a4 under the cover A2 (see Fig. i) is a sliding bar R, which is struck np in the present instance and of the pecu# liar form shown in Fig. 14. This bar has two projecting fingers r r, which rest against the front and rear of the heart-cam L', as shown in Figs. l and 7. The arms r r engage with a bifnrcated lever S, having two arms s s, between which slides a block S. This lever is pivoted to a stud s', projecting from the transverse plate A', secured to the side plates a and resting in a recess in an upright extension a2 of the base-plate A, which not only supports this cross-piece a', but also acts as a guide for the sliding feed-bar C. Y

Pivoted to the stud S2 on the transverse plate A is a lever T, having a stud t, which engages with a connectingebar pivoted at t2 to the under side of the lower cloth-clamp l-I, as shown in 24. The sliding block S is ad justably secured to this lever T by means of a set-screw T2, adapted to a slot T3 in said lever T, so that as the heart-cam L rotates it moves the cloth-clamp longitudinally through the medium of the bar R, levers S and T, and connecting-bar t', so that it will loeJ seen that by adjusting the block S toward or from the pivot s the length of the button-hole can be regulated.

The feed-disk projects, as will be seen on reference to Fig. l, beyond the edge of the casing, and the periphery of this feed-disk, which extends beyond the feed-ring, can be roughened, so that it can be turned by hand when required.

The lower cloth-clamp II has two longitudinal ribsy y on each side ot a central opening `for the..buttonhole, formed by slotting said cloth-clamp, and the upper cloth-clamp has a pivoted frame Y, having project-ing ribs y', which pass into the central opening g and slots formed by the ribs Q/ of the lower cloth-clamp. These ribs I prefer to make perfectly smooth, in order that they will not tear the material in which the button-holes are formed; but when the upper cloth-clamp is pressed down on the lower cloth-clamp the action of these ribs will cause the cloth to stretch, so that the button-hole can be formed on this stretched portion.

On the under side of the bed-plate A is a flat plate V, as shown in the inverted plan view, Fig. 2, and in the cross-section, Fig. 4. This plate has beveled edges o o, and these edges are reduced at IU. The object of this plate is to secure the button-hole attachment in the shuttle-race slideways of the sewingmachine.

The shuttle-race covers of the same make of sewing-machine, although supposed to be precisely alike, are in many instances a trifle irregular, some being narrower than others. :To overcome this difficulty, I slot the plate V, forming two arms c r2, and preferably form a slot at the rear, and I secure the arm o of this plate to the bed-plate A of 'the attachment and adjustably secure the arm t2 to a slotted extension oi the base-plate by means of a set-screw To apply the attachment to the sh uttle-race slideway of the sewing-machine,I release the arm Q22 from the control of the set-screw I1:3 and force the plate V of the attachment into the shuttle-race slideway, the arm r2 adjusting itself to the milled space. The arm is then secured by means of a set-screw, and will have sufficient rigidity to keep it in its place while in operation.

Under the cover A2 there is a downwardlyprojecting rib, which forms a guide for the bar R. On the upper side there is a post b2, which engages with the stud of the bell-crank in such a manner that the stud is held firmly at both ends when the mechanism is at work.

I claim as my invention 1. The combination, in a button-hole attachment for sewing-machines, of the vibrating plate carrying the cloth-clamp,two formercams, one above the other, mounted substantially as described, and mechanism for operating said cams, and a single formenlever pivoted to the base-plate and connected to the vibrating plate, an d having two working-faces on different horizontal planes, one face being acted upon by one cam and the other by the other cam, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination, in a button-hole at tachment for sewing-machines, of the vibrate ing plate carrying the cloth-clamp,two formercams, one above the other, mounted substair tially as described, mechanism for operating said cams, and a single former-lever pivoted to the base-plate and connected to the said vibrating plate, said lever having two arms adjustable toward and from each other and in different horizontal planes, whereby one may be acted upon by one cam and the other by the other cam, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination, in a buttonehole attachment for sewing-machines, of the vibrating plate carrying the cloth-clamp, a single IOO former-lever pivoted to the base-plate and having a slot, and a block on the vibrating plate adjustable in said slot for varying the bight of the stitch with a revolving former-cam and arms on the lever spanning said cam and adjustable to alter the width of cutting-space, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. The combination, in a button-hole attachment for sewing-machines, of the feeddisk, a feed-lever J, a grip-lever mounted thereon, and a feed-band for the feed-disk attached at one end to the feed-lever J and at the other end to the grip-lever with a frictiondisk acting to retard said feed-leverboth on its feed and return movement, substantially as and for the purpose described.

5. The combination, in a button-hole attachment for sewing-machines, of the vibrator-plate pivoted to a stud on the base of the attachment and cloth-clamp carried thereby with a,vibrator acted upon by a cam and havinga flexible arm engagin with said vibrating plate, substantially as set forth.

G. The combination of the pivoted vibrating plate, cloth-clamp carried thereby, the pivoted plate F, having two arms F', a threecornered cani e, and mechanism for operating said cam with a spring-arm F', extending under the said vibrating plate and loosely connected thereto, substantially as set forth.

7. The combination, in a button-hole attachment for sewing-machines, of the clothclamp, a lever S, means for connecting said lever to the clamp, a heart-cam L and mechanism for operating the salne, and a bar R, having two arms o r, engaging with the said cam, and two arms 7" r', engaging with the lever S, substantially as described.

8. The combination, in the cloth-clamp of a buttonhole attachment for sewing-machines, of the lower cloth-clamp I-I, having a central opening for the button-hole and two ribs y yon each side thereof, with an upper cloth-clamp having a similar central opening and two ribs y upon each side thereof, the said ribs y of the upper cloth-clamp projeetf ing between the ribs y of the lower clothclamp when the clamp is closed, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

9. The combination, in a button-hole attachment for sewing-machines, of the baseplate and the plate V on the under side thereof, having two arms e v2, one of said arms being permanently secured to said base-plate and the other arm being in the form of a spring secured to the base-plate by means of a set-screw, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

DANL. MILLS.

Witnesses:

HARRY SMITH, HENRY IIoWsoN. 

